Wednesday, April 27, 2011

This week, heads of the international beekeepers association and the Asian beekeepers association, along with Saudi researchers, were among the guests at a workshop on the medical and therapeutic use of bee products. The workshop was organized by the Eng. Abdullah Baqshan Research Chair for Bee Research.

Dr. Ahmad Khazim Al-Ghamdi, supervisor of the Chair, said the apitherapy workshop is the first of its kind in the Kingdom and drew physicians and experts from Germany, Switzerland, Bulgaria, the United States, France, Thailand and elsewhere who are renowned for using bee products in therapy.

Dr. Al Ghamdi said the workshop was held because the Chair recognizes the importance of apitherapy, especially for its effectiveness in treating more than 500 ailments, including breast cancer, chronic wounds, skin ulcerations, burns, skin diseases, hepatitis, arthritis and eczema.

He added that a goal of the workshop was to spread knowledge about the medical properties of bee products and increase awareness of them among health workers.

He said the workshop also aimed to bring to the Arab world medical technology pertaining to the use of bee products and to consider laws and regulations governing apitherapy in other countries for the purpose of drafting a national plan.

Dr. Al Ghamdi added that the workshop would conclude with a two-day training session by Dr. Stefan Stangaciu, director of the German and Rumanian Apitherapy Association on the practical implementation of bee product therapy. That session was intended for doctors, advanced students, pharmacists, pharmacological industry workers, alternative medicine workers, nurses and apiarists…